


Far From Home

by imbeccacile



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Brotherly Love, Canon Compliant, Character Study (kind of), F/M, Homesickness, Post-Canon, post-Act Your Age
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 23:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17538080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imbeccacile/pseuds/imbeccacile
Summary: Ferb realizes going to college so far away from home is harder than it seems, especially without his brother by his side.





	Far From Home

**Author's Note:**

> I still think it’s whack that they didn’t end up going to the same college, but whatever, the boys miss each other.

Ferb sighed as he stepped into his room, relieved to find it empty for the moment.

 

He closed the door behind him, dropped his bag from his shoulder onto the floor, and lay down on the bottom bunk - his bed.

 

He’d just completed his first week of college. It was kind of surreal, and certainly the most work he’d ever done. For some reason, he was exhausted, though he couldn’t pinpoint why.

 

Though as he stared up at the top bunk, Ferb supposed he  _ did _ know why; he’d never had to speak so much for himself. Introducing and icebreakers and class discussion; it was a lot for him.

 

Sure, he had always been well-spoken when he did talk, but he preferred not to. Phineas always understood him and his silence, and things just worked back in Danville.

 

Coming to England for school would certainly take some getting used to.

 

It wasn’t like the classmates he had met were mean or anything. Many did the best they could to understand Ferb’s infrequent speaking - his roommate Thomas included.

 

Thomas tried to make conversation with Ferb during this past week, and ask him about himself. Ferb had warned him from the beginning that he didn’t speak much, but despite that he tried hard to answer Thomas’s questions so that he wouldn’t dislike him. The first day hadn’t gone well. Both boys ended up feeling dejected and unable to connect.

 

Thomas was a nice kid, and just trying his best to get to know his roommate. He was starting to understand that, in their relationship, he’d be doing most of the talking. The night before, he told Ferb about his home in London, seemingly okay with his silence and gestures instead of speech.

 

Despite his gratefulness for Thomas’s (albeit slow) understanding, Ferb couldn’t help but feel guilty. At home he didn’t have to talk because he had Phineas by his side. And if the word ‘change’ taught him anything, it was that it was  _ really _ hard not to have his best friend with him all the time anymore. Phineas could make friends with anyone. 

 

Ferb pulled out his phone and turned on his side, not exactly sure what he was planning to do. He paused, then clicked on Vanessa’s name to look through their old messages. He’d told her about his first few days. She told him to just be himself and everyone would love him, just like she did.

 

He hadn’t known what to say, because being himself didn’t seem to work for some people. So he’d asked her if it was hard when she went to school for the first time. To be away from her parents.

 

She’d said, despite her Dad’s crazy antics and her Mom’s sarcasm, it had been really hard at first. But things got better, and she made friends. And she assured him it would be the same for him.

 

He hoped so.

 

Ferb shifted onto his back, staring up at Thomas’s bunk for a moment before shooting Vanessa a quick text to let her know he was thinking of her, and that he loved her. Resting the phone on his chest now, he placed his other hand behind his head.

 

Phineas and Vanessa were the two most important people in his life. He didn’t think anything would ever change that. He knew he was eighteen and he was an adult now. He was living on his own. Was missing them both this much terribly childish? He’d only been gone a week.

 

He sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to get his mind off of the whole thing. He’d be fine. Things would get better.

 

A couple minutes passed by. At least, he thought so. He may or may not have dozed, because when his phone began buzzing on his chest, he may or may not have hit his head on the top bunk in surprise.

 

Sitting up a bit, he rubbed the top of his head as he turned his phone over, seeing that Phineas was trying to FaceTime. He blinked and answered, holding the phone out in front of him.

 

“Ferb!” Phineas’s grinning face greeted him. He was sitting outside somewhere, and he seemed to be alone. “Sorry to call out of the blue like this.”

 

Ferb shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn’t mind.

 

Phineas’s grin grew a little wider. “Things have been pretty crazy here. I want to join, like, every club! Gotta make the most of our days, right bro?”

 

He smiled a little and gave a thumbs-up. It was like nothing had changed.

 

“How’ve things been at your wizard school?”

 

Ferb rolled his eyes, still grinning a little. “I’m not doing any _ wizardry _ ; I’m a man of science.”

 

Phineas laughed, shaking his head. “Whatever you say, dude.” His face brightened. “It’s great to see you’re doing well.” Ferb would have pointed out that he’d never  _ told _ him that, but there was no reason to worry his brother. “I love being at school, but sometimes I miss the ease of summer, you know?”

 

He nodded; he definitely knew what he meant.

 

“When we go back home, that old tree of ours has got our names written all over it!” Phineas exclaimed, leaning back on his hand. They hadn’t sat under that tree in awhile. Perhaps Ferb wasn’t the only one who was feeling nostalgic.

 

“Oh, by the way, Isabella says hi!” he added happily, a goofy grin on his face. Ferb smirked. “She misses you. She hopes her soccer team is gonna travel to England and play yours!”

 

He nodded. It would be nice to see Isabella again. “I miss her, too,” he replied.

 

Phineas watched him for a moment. “And I miss you, bro. It’s weird sharing a room with someone else.”

 

Ferb clenched his jaw, nodding a little. It was good to know this wasn’t one sided. “I know.” He knew more than Phineas could probably understand.

 

“But I’ll see you on Thanksgiving! And we’ll talk before then,” he continued, that optimism still present even ten years later.

 

He nodded, giving a thumbs-up again. Phineas blinked and let out a small groan. “I have to head to chemistry. I’ll talk to you later, Ferb!” He waved and grinned, and the call ended.

 

Ferb sighed, letting his hand fall into his lap, feeling much better after that. Maybe he just needed to hear his brother’s voice.

 

The door opened and Thomas poked his head inside, grinning upon seeing his roommate. “Oi, Ferb, my mates and I are gonna go play some football. Wanna join us?”

 

Ferb blinked, thinking it over, then nodded, shoving his phone into his pocket to follow Thomas out the door.

 

Maybe he really could do this on his own. With some help, of course.

  
  
  



End file.
